About

G.A.M. Convention (Games, Anime, and More) 2015

What G.A.M. Is

G.A.M. is similar to other hobby-focused conventions such as Salt Lake Con Comic (now called "Fan Xperience") and Los Angeles's Anime Expo. G.A.M.'s specific focus is on games, anime, and manga. It has a special emphasis on those originating from Japan which are available in the United States whether subtitled or dubbed in English. In general though, G.A.M. also embraces similar hobby interests such as science fiction and fantasy.
The convention will be appropriate for all ages and most audiences, with a target demographic of males and females aged 16 – 25 years old though we welcome people of all ages and backgrounds. We expect a turnout of at least 600 people based on attendance for similar conventions in Utah.

What Will Be There

Fun People Like You!

While the final listing of events is still pending, here are some of the features and activities that we hope to have to occur:

Anime viewing room(s)

Manga and comic reading room

Tabletop gaming room

Handheld video gaming room

Video game free-play room (Nintendo, SEGA, PlayStation, XBOX)

Video game competitions

Arcade machines (pinball and/or stand-up arcade games)

Plastic & paper model show

Fan-made anime music video contests

Costume contests (both cosplay and skits)

Artist alley

Merchandise room (A.K.A. the dealers' room)

Singing (karaoke)

Dancing (dances and raves {some with costumes})

Swap meet

Additional video screenings

Industrial guests

Musical guests

Live musical performances

Who the Guests of Honor Will Be

Pending Guest Line-Up

While the final line-up of our guests is yet to be determined, we already have a number of parties interested in attending as our Featured Guests. Some of these include a director and a voice actor. But of course, any guest's appearance is subject to availability and the successful funding of this project. We have many other industry and musical guests in the wings, but announcements of their interest and eventual confirmations of their attendance will happen at later dates as our project progresses.

When G.A.M. Will Be

G.A.M. will be held on Saturday,
August 8th. Initially we will have the convention for eight hours on
Saturday. As we add more sponsorships and pledges, we shall add more
hours and days, expanding it to be a fuller weekend which will
eventually include Friday and Sunday. We shall have Sunday, August 9th,
be designated as our public "Free Day." This means that while
ticket-holders shall be able to attend all three days, everyone will get
to attend Sunday at no charge.

Where G.A.M. Will Be

Marriott Hotel of Vernal

Our
current plan is to hold the convention in Vernal, Utah at the TownePlace
Suites hotel by Marriott. However we are open to change as required.

Why Have The Convention

While there are a number of
fun and exciting outdoor activities in the Uinta Basin as well as a
small sampling of annual family-orientated events, there is a lack of
indoor events and events focused on youth culture. This area is home to
a large amount of dining and shopping establishments, but as far as
social outlets go, there are few. Bars are unavailable to the 16 – 20
year-old crowd, the Vernal bowling alley has been closed for years, and a
number of other hangout spots for the young and young-at-heart have
been shutdown over the years. G.A.M. will offer an opportunity to enjoy
pursuits such as comic books, cartoons, and video games in a safe,
indoor environment where families, children, teens, and even adults can
enjoy themselves.
Furthermore, a convention such as G.A.M. will bring with it state-wide
attention and even beyond, garnering media coverage from various radio,
newspaper, and television outlets, helping to drive people to the cities
and counties of the Uinta Basin. G.A.M. will bring hundreds of
tourists to the Basin.

Add-ons

How do add-ons work? Just pick which add-ons you want and add their prices to the price of your chosen pledge level. For example, if you pledge for a Kickstarter Edition T-Shirt and Convention Badge reward for $55, but you also want a G.A.M. Convention 2015 T-shirt (Standard Edition) for $20, a lanyard set for $13, and a pin pack for $11, then your total pledge should be $55 + $20 + $13 + $11 = $99!

Iron-on Patches$15Convert any regular old boring shirt or
jacket into an exciting swanky shirt or jacket with these awesome
patches embroidered with the name and logo of the convention. Patch
packs will contain at least two patches (final number to be determined).

Convention Lanyards$13Why just hold your badge in your
hand or clip it to your clothes when you can have the convenience,
elegance, and style of wearing it like a necklace from this lanyard? Go
"hands-free" with our $13 lanyard pack which is customized with the
name of the convention itself! Lanyard packs will contain at least two
lanyards (final number to be determined).

Metallic Pin-on Emblems (A.K.A. Pins)$11Want all the
swankiness associated with the patches customizing your clothes or bags
but without all the hassle of sewing or ironing? Look no further than
our exclusive metallic pin-on emblems emblazoned with the name and logo
of the convention! Emblem packs will contain at least two pins (final
number to be determined).

Customized Pens$9Going to such a great convention, you'll probably need to sign a lot of autographs. Plus, don't forget about sharing your contact details with all of the many new friends you'll be making at G.A.M. Get these deluxe, ergonomic pens customized with the convention's name and always be ready to write! Pen packs will contain at least two fancy "comfort grip" pens (final number to be determined).

Plus One Convention Badge$25Oh sure, conventions are great fun and all, but what's even more fun than an excellent convention is an excellent convention with a friend! Bring your partner in merriment with this sweet add-on.

Plus Three Convention Badges$70Oh sure, one friend is great and all, but you are a popular person who just can't choose only one companion to take with you. You'll be needing badges for your three closest friends, family members, or enemies! That's where this add-on will have your back... unlike those unusually friendly enemies of yours.

Plus One T-Shirt (Kickstarter Edition) and Convention Badge$55OK, some people have friends, but you have a _best_friend_. You treat your friends right, and you treat your best friend the best. That's why you will be wanting this add-on which will get a badge and a stylish shirt for your pal. Twinsies!

Plus Three T-Shirts (Kickstarter Editions) and Convention Badges$160For some people, one best friend is enough. But not you. You are BFF's with a bunch of buds and you couldn't bear to leave any of them behind or under-dressed. That's why you will be needing this triple-pack of best-friend goodness which includes badges and shirts for three supreme companions. Now properly outfitted, you four will have an epic convention-going time!

Note

No items will be sent out to mailing addresses. Any items must be picked up at the convention. Any items not picked up will be forfeited. Showing of some government-provided photographic identification will be required to pick up any items. (For example, a state-issued driver's license would be an acceptable form of identification for item pick-up.)

Goal & Stretch Goals

Our Goals

1. Basic Convention (our initial goal)$400A cozy convention for a couple of con-goers. This size will be enough for a couple dozen people.

2. Medium Convention (the first stretch goal)$600A more medium-sized mash-up for a moderate number of attendees. This size will be enough for a few dozen more people.

3. Large Convention$800A luxuriously large area for listening and lounging. This size will be enough for more than one hundred people.

4. Extra-Large Convention$1200Extra room for extra people. This will be the combined size of the areas provided by the "Large" and "Basic" goals.

5. Extra-Extra-Large Convention$1400Even more room for even more excellent people. This will be the combined size of the areas provided by the "Large" and "Medium" goals.

6. Extremely Large Convention$1800All the room the (first) venue can provide! This will be the combined size of the areas provided by the "Large" and "Medium" and "Basic" goals.

7. One Very Special Guest$2800A Guest of Honor for an honorable bunch. At this level, we can afford to bring in a special guest from the anime or video game industry!

8. Awesomely Large Convention$4500All the room the first and second venue can provide! Now we can have a convention which is basically double the size of the "Extremely Large" goal.

9.+ More Guests! More Room! More Days!$5500 - $19500For every $1000 past the "Awesomely Large" goal, we will choose among adding another Guest of Honor, adding more room for the convention, or adding additional days to the convention until we are over $9000! (The final Guest of Honor will be added once we get to the $19500 level.) This means that the convention will keep growing until it is three days long (August 7th - 9th, Friday - Sunday), has multiple Guests of Honor, and has tons of room for every awesome little thing!

Diagram - Numbers Match Stretch Goal Bonuses

If we raise enough money to add Sunday to the schedule, then we will declare Sunday, August 9th, to be our public Free Day so everyone can attend on that day even if they don't have tickets for Friday and Saturday!

Sponsorship Levels

Types of Sponsorship

To help fund the convention, we are seeking companies, organizations, and individuals who would like to sponsor the event. There are affordable sponsorship packages available for every budget. The convention will offer an excellent opportunity to publicize any and all businesses, products, and services to hundreds of attendees from Vernal, from Utah, and from surrounding communities and states such as Colorado and Wyoming.

One package = name + optional logo + optional Web page address.

Packages can be sponsored for almost any product or service a company wishes to emphasize. For example, a company's logo might get a Platinum sponsorship, while two of the company's more important products get Gold sponsorships, one apiece for the products.
Each company/organization/individual can purchase up to five packages per Sponsorship Level per year.
Up to twenty packages total (5 platinum, 5 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze) per sponsor per year are available.

Risks and challenges

Every endeavor faces risks, and this project is no different. But without taking a chance, nobody can ever succeed. Thankfully, the risks with an event-based project like this are minimal.

We are in control of the design and layout of most of the promotional materials. In case we need help with any aspect of the project's advertising/marketing materials, the various companies we will hire to print or press the materials will be available to assist or guide us. If any person or company consulted ends up being unable to provide a required component, there are many alternative groups which can be hired for service or goods fulfillment.

We already have a venue selected for the event. However if the venue is unavailable for whatever reason, we have three alternative venues we have chosen as back-up locations. We do not anticipate needing to change the location of our event, but we will be ready if we need to do so.

If for some reason we are not able to have the convention on our chosen day of August 8th, we will reschedule for the week after that on August 15th.

Guests of Honor tend to be busy people, so some of them might not be able to keep to an agreed-upon appearance at the convention. Thankfully we have contact information for multiple people in the anime and games industries, so we will be able to find alternative Guests of Honor without much trouble if required.

Support

Select this reward

Pledge $20 or more
About $20

Early Bird Convention Badge

Regular badges purchased at the convention or online will cost $30 each. Get your badge reserved early through Kickstarter for a nice slice! This badge acts as your ticket which includes admission to the convention.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

Convention Badge

Regular badges purchased at the convention or online will cost $30 each. Get your badge reserved through Kickstarter for a nice slice! This badge acts as your ticket which includes admission to the convention.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $45 or more
About $45

Early Bird T-Shirt (Kickstarter Edition) and Convention Badge

Want to save a bucket of money and look good at the same time? Get this reward pack which includes both a badge for admission to the convention and a snazzy-looking T-shirt which is available exclusively to Kickstarter backers.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $55 or more
About $55

T-Shirt (Kickstarter Edition) and Convention Badge

Want to save money and look good at the same time? Get this reward pack which includes both a badge for admission to the convention and a snazzy-looking T-shirt which is available exclusively to Kickstarter backers.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $90 or more
About $90

Early Bird Bronze Sponsorship

It's time to show everyone that you are a matron or a patron of entertainment and the arts (while saving a bit of cash at the same time). Sponsor the convention itself with this reward level which will spread your name, fame, and acclaim across the convention's halls... literally! For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

Bronze Sponsorship

It's time to show everyone that you are a big matron or a large patron of entertainment and a friend to the arts. Sponsor the convention itself with even more style by utilizing this reward level which will spread your name, fame, and acclaim across the convention's halls... literally! For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $185 or more
About $185

Want to save piles of money and have your posse look good at the same time? Go in style with this reward pack which includes both four badges for admission to the convention and four snazzy-looking T-shirts which are available exclusively to Kickstarter backers.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $205 or more
About $205

T-Shirts (Kickstarter Editions) and Convention Badges 4-Pack

Want to save buckets of money and have your posse look good at the same time? Go in style with this reward pack which includes both four badges for admission to the convention and four snazzy-looking T-shirts which are available exclusively to Kickstarter backers.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $225 or more
About $225

Early Bird Silver Sponsorship

It's time to show everyone that you are a big matron or a large patron of entertainment and a friend to the arts (while saving a bit of cash at the same time). Sponsor the convention itself with even more style by utilizing this reward level which will spread your name, fame, and acclaim across the convention's halls... literally! The normal (post-Kickstarter) cost for this sponsorship will be $500, so be sure to snag one now and save over the regular cost. For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

Silver Sponsorship

It's time to show everyone that you are a big matron or a large patron of entertainment and a friend to the arts. Sponsor the convention itself with even more style by utilizing this reward level which will spread your name, fame, and acclaim across the convention's halls... literally! The normal (post-Kickstarter) cost for this sponsorship will be $500, so be sure to snag one now and save over the regular cost. For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $350 or more
About $350

Bronze Sponsorships 4-Pack

You have much you want to promote, and you want to do so to hundreds of happy convention goers. Good news! This promotional pack will provide plenty of publicity to any persons or things you want to promote, from providing a special thank-you to friends to letting everyone know about your excellent products or exceptional company. Mix and match promos with this four-pack of sponsorships! The normal (post-Kickstarter) cost for this would be $400, so be sure to snag one now and save over the regular cost. For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $450 or more
About $450

Early Bird Gold Sponsorship

It's time to show everyone that you are a mega matron or a powerful patron of entertainment and the arts (while saving a bit of cash at the same time). Sponsor the convention itself with a lot of style by utilizing this reward level which will spread your name, fame, and acclaim across the convention's halls and beyond... literally! The normal (post-Kickstarter) cost for this sponsorship will be $1000, so be sure to snag one now and save over the regular cost. For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

Gold Sponsorship

It's time to show everyone that you are a mega matron or a powerful patron of entertainment and the arts. Sponsor the convention itself with a lot of style by utilizing this reward level which will spread your name, fame, and acclaim across the convention's halls and beyond... literally! The normal (post-Kickstarter) cost for this sponsorship will be $1000, so be sure to snag one now and save over the regular cost. For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $900 or more
About $900

Early Bird Platinum Sponsorship

It's time to show everyone that you are a meticulous matron or a perfect patron of entertainment and a major friend of the arts (while saving a bit of cash at the same time). Sponsor the convention itself with a ton of style by utilizing this reward level which will spread your name, fame, and acclaim across the convention's halls and far beyond... literally! The normal (post-Kickstarter) cost for this sponsorship will be $2000, so be sure to snag one now and save over the regular cost. For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $935 or more
About $935

Silver Sponsorships 4-Pack

You have much you want to promote, and you want to do so to the attention of hundreds of joyous convention goers. Good news! This promotional pack will provide plenty of publicity to any persons or things you want to promote, from providing a special thank-you to friends to letting everyone know about your excellent products or exceptional company. Mix and match promos with this four-pack of sponsorships! The normal (post-Kickstarter) cost for this would be $2000, so be sure to snag one now and save over the regular cost. For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

Platinum Sponsorship

It's time to show everyone that you are a meticulous matron or a perfect patron of entertainment and a major friend of the arts. Sponsor the convention itself with a ton of style by utilizing this reward level which will spread your name, fame, and acclaim across the convention's halls and far beyond... literally! The normal (post-Kickstarter) cost for this sponsorship will be $2000, so be sure to snag one now and save over the regular cost. For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,925 or more
About $1,925

Gold Sponsorships 4-Pack

You have much you want to promote, and you want to do so to the full attention of hundreds of exuberant convention goers. Good news! This promotional pack will provide plenty of publicity to any persons or things you want to promote, from providing a special thank-you to friends to letting everyone know about your excellent products or exceptional company. Includes your logos on all of our vinyl banners. Mix and match promos with this four-pack of sponsorships! The normal (post-Kickstarter) cost for this would be $4000, so be sure to snag one now and save over the regular cost. For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $3,900 or more
About $3,900

Platinum Sponsorships 4-Pack

You have much you want to promote, and you want to do so to the transfixed attention of hundreds of ecstatic convention goers. Good news for you then: this is the ultimate package! This promotional pack will provide plenty of publicity to any persons or things you want to promote, from providing a special thank-you to friends to letting everyone know about your excellent products or exceptional company. Includes your large logos on all of our vinyl banners. Mix and match promos with this four-pack of sponsorships! The normal (post-Kickstarter) cost for this would be $8000, so be sure to snag one now and save over the regular cost. For more information, please see our sponsors' page at our Web site.